CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State (5-5-4, 5-1-2 GAC/MIAA) couldn't complete the comeback against No. 17 Southern Nazarene (8-3-3, 5-1-2 GAC/MIAA) as they came up short 2-1 on Wednesday.
 
"Overall, we played fantastic and credit to SNU as they are a solid team and took advantage of our small mistakes," said Head Coach Derek Larkin. "At the end of the day, we made too many mistakes, and it cost us. We just put ourselves in a bad spot, but I loved our men's character as they battled back against a good team."
 
The first half saw more opportunities for SNU, as they outshot the Hillcats 9-7. Six of the Crimson Storm's shots were on goal, compared to two for RSU. SNU made the most of their opportunities as they got on the scoreboard with a goal in the ninth minute. The offensive attacks for both sides flowed well, but defense played a heavy factor in the first half as RSU goalkeeper Declan Viljoen tallied five saves in the first 45 minutes.
 
In the second half, the Hillcats began to build some momentum as they outshot the Crimson Storm 10-5 in the period. However, SNU took three shots on goal, to RSU's two. The Crimson Storm doubled its lead fresh out of the locker room with a goal 16 seconds into the start. RSU responded in the 51st minute as Kaleb Trussell cut the deficit in half when he found the back of the net. In the 57th minute, Marcos Vasallo almost scored the equalizer, but the ball careened off the left post. A minute later, Alex Laing took a shot, but it was saved. In the 73rd minute, Viljoen recorded a massive save to keep the score at 2-1.
 
RSU returns to the pitch on Thursday, Oct. 31st for as they play host to Newman on Senior Night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.